In the conventional washing or shampooing of the hair of one person by another, for example in a beauty salon, barber shop or the like, the conventional method is for the client or party having their hair washed to tilt back in a chair and place the head over the lip of a sink that generally contains a depression for receipt of the neck. While such an operation is generally acceptable, there exist numerous situations where such positioning of the client is not possible or convenient. Some examples of such cases are physically handicapped or aged persons who cannot perform the required head and neck manipulation, but rather must sit virtually upright during the shampooing operation, shampooing performed in the home where a chair of appropriate height or design and/or a sink of appropriate height or design may not be available. In all of these situations it is not unusual for the person whose hair is being washed to become soaked with water that pours off of the head during shampooing or other hair dressing operations such as perming that involve wetting the clients hair.
A number of solutions to the problem just described have been proposed in the prior art, but none of these provides an acceptable solution to the problem. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,451,458 issued Jul. 9, 2002 to McFadden describes a portable shampooing that includes a basin defining a central opening and a sleeve of elastic, liquid impermeable material. The sleeve defines a first periphery joined to the basin around the opening for admitting passage of a human head. The sleeve also defines a second periphery smaller than the first for fitting around a human neck, preferably at or just below the chin. Optionally, the basin includes a funnel portion and drainage tube. While the device of McFadden is aimed at solving the described problem, it has several shortcomings. Firstly, in the case of a client receiving a perm, it would be virtually impossible of extremely difficult to pass the device over the head of the client whilst “perm rods” or other hair curling apparatus. The device of McFadden has the drain extending from the font of the device, a configuration that would make it most difficult to properly orient a client with respect to a sink or other drain apparatus, especially if the client were in, for example, a wheel chair. Finally, the device of McFadden incorporates a so-called shield that extends upwardly behind the client's head to capture overspray. According to McFadden, the shield preferably extends 10 inches above the bottom wall of the device. The presence of such a shield would virtually prohibit the hairdresser to have adequate access to the rear of the head to properly shampoo or otherwise treat the hair of a user.
Other similar such devices are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,946,745 to Magee, U.S. Pat. No. 1,429,950 to Jones et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 4,014,054 to Pasquarello. While all of these devices attempt to solve the same asic problem addressed herein, each of them suffers from one or more of the following problems: they are bulky, they require tilting of the head backward, they require elasticized insertion of the head etc.
Thus, there remains a need for a portable shampooing basin or sink that allows for the comfortable washing or treatment of the hair of persons exhibiting limited movement capabilities or confined to some situation where appropriate access to a sink or other drainage device is readily available, for example, due to confinement to a wheel chair.